Tipping When Renting an Apartment from an Agency

Tipping is for the unaware. No need to tip.

The cultural norm is not to tip the cleaners

Tipping (esp over-tipping) by Americans out of a feeling of guilt or obligation is making it difficult for those (including locals) who choose to follow the local norms. Please don't perpetuate the expectation of service workers that a tip from an American is automatic. If someone does something unexpected or goes above-and-beyond, I will tip, but there's no reason to tip a person for simply doing their job like we do in the U.S. - no matter how huffy they may get with you!

I did tip the driver because he also showed me how to get into the apartment and took my luggage to the apartment. More than a taxi would do so I felt he deserved a little extra. Honestly, I have not tipped the cleaning service (I don't even pay attention to when they are coming)

NO tipping. The only time i have tipped a taxi driver was a couple of times when they provided extra service. When my arm was in a cast, the driver carried my luggage from apartment to cab and another time I forget to leave the key -- it was clutched in my hand and was mean to go through the letter box -- the cabbie drove the 6 blocks back without voiding the fixed fee to the airport, so I paid extra for his courtesy -- he could have charged me.

for normal service, no tipping is the norm and Americans who tip just create difficulties for locals and other travelers who follow the norms.

My husband is the captain of Team Overtipping here in the US and he even he was surprised at the idea of tipping the cleaning person whose services are part of the apartment rental. That got us both thinking about the fact that we tip hotel chambermaids and the cleaning person for a vacation rental is providing the same service but we do not tip them in the United States and do not tip them in France. In any event, I would not tip the cleaner and I would not tip the driver who is picking you up. How much does that pick up cost?

I would not tip. But, I am curious about your American rates. If you did tip at different rates, why? Would you be intimidated when tipping in the US or would you think non US deserves less, and why?

@treemoss2--I would not be intimidated when tipping in the US because I know my own culture. It's because I'm NOT familiar with French culture, outside of modest or no tipping in restaurants, that I asked the question. It's not a matter of deserve or not deserve, it's respect for the local culture.

And I too had not thought about tipping the maid until I was searching this site and ran across a thread in which the people who live in France largely said that they DID tip the maids in hotels. I might give a modest tip to the driver because they will be the one to give us the keys to the apartment since we are arriving on a day that the agency office is closed.

I don't have any experience with tipping car service in the US--my husband does the booking and modest tipping--and our kids are the ones to book our joint Airbnbs, so no idea what they do about tipping, though my gut feeling is no tip because cleaning is probably included in the price. We did rent one place that wanted us to strip the beds and start a load of sheets and towels--definitely no tip for them!